Thanks BorgHater - I've replied!
Cedars
Candace Conti video on YouTube - let's send it viral!
by cedars 126 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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AnnOMaly
Very well done. Great narration!
One quibble. Did the WTS lose because they broke the law on not reporting to the authorities?
Just written this on another forum (lazy so I'll c&p and bold key parts):
I believe that CA did not have a mandatory reporting law in the early to mid-'90s, so the defendants were not breaking the law. If I've understood what I've read of the court documents and heard from the plaintiff's attorney in an interview, it [this CIVIL proceeding] hinged on whether the elders and WTS of NY knew this brother was a danger to children and did nothing to warn others, thereby putting others at risk and causing harm. If so, it was both negligent and an "act of malice."
This was what the case was about - NOT that they hadn't reported to the authorities.
Please put me straight if my understanding is incorrect.
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NewChapter
I retweeted it.
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cedars
AnnOMaly - I've raised it as a reason why the policy is currently unlawful regardless of how that issue specifically applied to this case because a development consultant has flagged the reporting issue as being in breach of statutory regulations. Also, I noticed the issue of reporting to the authorities was specifically raised in the witness testimonies, so I'm sure it was of some concern to the jury that the authorities weren't notified of Kendrick's other victims, just the Society. I've tried to keep the "two reasons" fairly vague so that they're not necessarily specifically linked to the case itself - rather I broadly offer the main two reasons why I perceive the Society's policies to be currently unlawful. I apologise if my script doesn't make this clear enough. Like I said, it's tricky to explain such complex things succinctly!
Cedars
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cedars
double post
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00DAD
Cedars, the ONLY "training" elders have in these matters comes from the WTBTS.
BTW, I am a teacher in a public school in California. We are MANDATED REPORTERS and receive regular instruction on the laws in cases of abuse and even suspected abuse. We are required to notify both our site representatives* AND the authorities, which in our case is Child Protective Services.
The elders were not violating any law in contacting WT Legal. The "negligent conduct" that exposed them to civil liability (remember, this was a CIVIL case, NOT a CRIMINAL case) was creating an environment that protected pedophiles and the failure to notify the authorities when they learned of abuse.
The WTBTS of NY, Inc. was joined in the suit and found culpable for two reasons:
- They constructed the policies that required local congregation elders to remain silent (NOT contact the authorities) in this situation, and
- Because the elders had informed WT Legal of the matter, the WTBTS of NY, Inc. had knowledge of a crime and failed to report it.
00DAD
* At my school that would be one of the administrators: the Principal or an Assistant Principal.
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cedars
00DAD
The elders were not violating any law in contacting WT Legal. The negligence that exposed them to civil liability (remember, this was a CIVIL case, NOT a CRIMINAL case) was the failure to notify the authorities.
I'm not sure what you're getting at. Nowhere in my video do I make the above assertion. please tell me where this statement, or one similar to it, is made.
Cedars
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Marvin Shilmer
Cedars,
That is a brilliant piece of work!
Cantleave and nugget,
Thanks so much for assisting in this.
Marvin Shilmer
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darthfader
Wonderful video... I don't know what it is, but I just enjoy hearing you Brits speak :) Keep up the good work!
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cedars
Ah now I see what you mean.
In the script I say:
Secondly, elders are instructed to always contact the branch office when they hear allegations of child abuse. This is against the law, because the state authorities should always be the first ones to know when a crime has been committed.
This is technically a mistake, and not what I intended to say. Hopefully the immediately following sentence (underlined) sort of gets me out of it, wouldn't you agree?
Cedars